Team Building Essay Example for Free

Team Building Essay Discuss and compare the different types of team and the benefits of different teams for different objectives Introduction The organisation that I will be talking about is Arsenal Football Club. Arsenal Football Club is a professional football team in the premier division of the English Football League which is run by the Football Association. Arsenal Football Club is an informal and formal team. They are formal on the pitch because they have to respect each other as well as the referee. Off the pitch Arsenal Football Club are an informal team this is shown by the way the players communicate with each other; be it verbal or non-verbal. Another Way that it is apparent that Arsenal Football Club is an informal team is by their use of body language towards each other. The size of Arsenal Football Club is large as there is more than one team because there is the backroom staff team, coaching team and the team of footballers who play week in-week out. The interesting factor about Arsenal Football Club is that without one of these three teams the others wont function properly, so in order to keep the balance all three teams have to work together with each other to make sure that their aims and targets are met. Responsibilities Team Business Line management Backroom staff To make sure the players are fit to play, to make sure the kits are ready, to keep the pitch neat and finely cut To treat injured players in the correct manner, Coaching team To train the players each week, sort out tactics, pick the team, assign the captain, sort out player and staff contracts To make sure the tactics that are being used are getting the right results, to make sure that all players/staff contracts dont expire Football players To perform on the pitch, to increase shirt sales through performance, to advertise club merchandise To make sure they win as many games as possible, to listen and follow the coaching teams instructions Organisation chart Types of Teams Benefits of Working in Teams There are many different types of teams. My personal definition of the phrase team-work is working in a group to contribute ideas and thought; and then working together to follow up these ideas. It could also mean supporting one another in a group. Group dynamics is the study of groups, and also a general term for group processes. Relevant to the fields of communication studies, a group is two or more individuals who are connected to each other by social relationships. Because they interact and influence each other, groups develop a number of dynamic processes that separate them from a random collection of individuals. These processes include roles, relations, development, need to belong, social influence, and effects on behaviour. The field of group dynamics is primarily concerned with small group behaviour. Other types of teams include: * Task Force a temporary team assembled to investigate a specific issue or problem * Problem Solving Team a temporary team assembled to solve a specific problem. * Product Design Team a temporary team assembled to design a new product or service. * Committee a temporary or permanent group of people assembled to act upon some matter. * Work Group a permanent group of workers who receive direction from a designated leader. * Work Team an ongoing group of workers who share a common mission who collectively manage their own affairs within predetermined boundaries. * Quality Circle a group of workers from the same functional area who meet regularly to uncover and solve work-related problems and seek work improvement opportunities. I will now state each type of team whilst listing their advantages and disadvantages. Types of teams Advantages Disadvantages Formal Organised, well structured, professional, punctual Usually more work expected, have to dress alike with other employees, more tension to meet deadlines Informal Laid back, relaxed, casual, non-fixed hours Lack of structure could lead to reduction in professionalism Small Focus, Clarity, in a smaller team, everyone has a line of sight to everyone else, interaction less range of ideas, losing one person can stall a lot of work, slow rate of production, since theres less of them there would be more work for each of them to do when they share it out Large More ideas, more production, people can be covered during days off Costs more, can be conflicts, too many people can slow the rate of work Temporary Meet new people, inject new ideas to the project, learn new skills You lose good friends, take long to adjust to specific roles, Permanent Trust, loyalty, fixed-schedule, long term If you dislike someone in your team they will remain there. If you dislike your job you will have to keep it. Contribution to Organisational Productivity My chosen organisations goals are to win as many games in the season as they can, to win silverware each year and to beat all rivals. The way that this becomes possible each year is by the team working together to achieve these goals. Each of my chosen teams within the organisation has to do their specified jobs otherwise the goals arent achieved. Because the teams have been together for such a long time, they have developed a familiarity with the roles of each other and so often they are able to stand in for each other. Because the employees know each other well enough they have learnt to trust each other and know what will happen in certain situations on the football field. Reducing Alienation Within every team, every member of the team has a certain part to play and this helps motivate each member because they can feel as if without them the team isnt complete and so they can feel proud of their contributions as they feel part of a team. This reduces alienation. Team members can learn from one another which would lead to increased respect for each other because they are able to see the skills that they have and realise how difficult it is to do what they do. We can relate this to Belbins theory which indentified nine team members within the team. According to Belbins theory of nine team roles, building working teams would be advised to ensure that each of the roles can be performed by a team member. Some roles are compatible and can be more easily fulfilled by the same person; some are less compatible and are likely to be done well by people with different behavioural clusters. This means that a team need not be as many as nine people, but perhaps should be at least three or four including the main team members who are the leader, plant, implementer and the co-ordinator . While comparisons can be drawn between Belbins behavioural team roles and personality types, the roles represent tasks and functions in the self-management of the teams activities. Here is a table showing the role of each member and their characteristics. Role characteristics Plant Creative, imaginative, unorthodox, solves difficult problems Resource investigator Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative, explores opportunities, develops contacts Co-ordinator Mature, confident, clarifies goals, promotes decision making, delegates well Shaper Challenging, thrives on pressure, dynamic, has drive and courage to overcome obstacles Monitor or evaluator Sober, strategic, discerning, judges accurately Team worker Co-operative, mild, perceptive, diplomatic, listens, build, averts friction Implementer Disciplined, reliable conservative, efficient, turns ideas into practical actions Completer or finisher Painstaking, searches out errors and omissions, delivers on time, anxious, conscientious Specialist Single minded, self starting, dedicated, provides knowledge and skills in rare supply Sharing Expertise If a team had too many of one particular role than the effect and impact of this on the overall performance would be awful because you would have a lot of team members who could do a similar job to one another and so the level of productivity would decrease as they would have similar ideas to one another. Another problem with this could be that the team members would lose respect for one another because, as I mentioned earlier, each member of the team gains respect for one another because they have the skills to do something that they themselves cannot do. So if they all have similar skills than they would lose respect for one another which would mean that the team would perform as well as they should. Another problem with this is that if, for example, you had a lot of members who Belbin described as plants and no-one who was an implementer than there would be no reason for the team to exist as the aims of the team wouldnt be achieved because of the lack of the implementer, who turns the plants creative ideas into practical actions. Opportunities to Identify Talent One of the great things about Arsenal Football Club is that they allow the team members to freely express their talents. One great example of this would be the fact that The Manager, Arsene Wenger, has a fabulous scouting network which goes all around the world looking for the best talents. Once they recruit player into the youth team then they have them train with other player who they feel are of similar level as one another, this gives them a feeling that they are all equal which rises their confidence. They constantly put youth players, who have developed enough, into the first team and turn them into world-class players. A few examples of this would be: * Cesc Fabregas, bought in from Barcelona youth academy at the age of 16 and is now a regular at Arsenal Football Club as well as being the youngest ever scorer for the club. * Thierry Henry, bought from Juventus at the age of 21 when he wasnt being given enough playing time, moved him to the striker position and is now the clubs all-time top scorer. * Theo Walcott, bought from Southampton at the age of 16 for à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5 million, and is now in the full England international team. The way the club explore a players talents is mainly though training sessions. Another way they explore talent is by using the team members in positions that they arent used to, for example using Theo Walcott who is a striker as a right winger to see what his attacking attributes are like. Implementing change There are many problems in trying to force change within a team. In doing this some of the team members might feel less values as they might have less or more to do, than the other members, than they had before. A team can influence change in both a positive way and a negative way. The positives could be that: * The team end product wasnt efficient enough so the change helps increase efficiency * Members of the team might fell more valued as they have more responsibility on their shoulders * Could boost morale * Would increase personal development The negatives could be that: * Stop personal development * Decrease performance * Lose respect for fellow team members * Members lose focus * Poor organisational structure * Decrease efficiency Fostering Innovation A team is much more creative than individuals because a team takes the skills from each member of the team and puts it together to increase the efficiency. The good thing about having a team is that the different roles can help certain members focus because of an authority figure giving them orders. Accountability Overall Organisation Objective Team Objective Individual Objective * To remove the debts owed to banks * To make the organisation known worldwide * Sell out matches every week * To increase revenue * Go as far as they can in all competitions * To score as many goals as they can * Beat all rivals * Win all competitions * Reducing reliance on key individuals by learning from each other * To improve personal skills * To contribute to the team * To earn the right to get a pay increase * To get into the starting eleven * To become a fans favourites Team Building My chosen organisation has to make a lot of considerations when recruiting new team members. The main consideration would be are they worth their value; because Arsenal Football Club is part of the Football Association, they have to abide to rules which are set out to make the game as fair as possible. So when Arsenal Football Club needs to recruit team members from other organisations, they have to either pay a compensation fee or a transfer fee (which can be rejected). Another consideration they have to take is will the new team member be able to give the team something which they dont already have. This is very important because if they have enough strikers, for example, then there is no need to go out and buy another one because it would just be a waste of money. The only reason that doing this could be justified is the age factor, this is when Arsenal Football Club buys new team members because they will be challenging the current team members in a few years or the fact that they will be put into the reserves or youth academies. The most important factor that they must see is whether the new team member will have the correct characteristics. This has been shown in the past as Arsenal Football Club have released very good players with a lot of potential because they did not have the correct attitude; a good example of this is David Bentleys transfer to Blackburn F.C. and of course Ashley Coles transfer to bitter rivals Chelsea F.C. One of the most important facts about Arsenal Football Club is that they always build towards the future. Currently Arsenal Football Club have 27 first team players and 29 reserve team players, so this shows the hard work that Arsenal Football Club have put in to ensure the long term future of the club. Tuckmans Theory Bruce Tuckman published a five stage theory in which it explains team development and behaviour. His theory explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships establish, and the leader changes leadership style. It begins with a directing style, moving through coaching, then participating and finishing delegating and almost detached. At this stage the team will name a successor to the previous leader, who will now go on and develop a new team. The final stage is the breakup of the group, usually when the task is completed successfully. Tuckmans Theory Diagram Reference: www.businessballs.com Progression of Tuckmans Theory * Forming high dependence on leader for guidance and direction * Storming team members attempt to establish themselves in relations to other team members and the leader * Norming agreement and consensus is formed among team, who respond well to facilitation by leader * Performing team is more strategically aware; they know why they do what they do * Adjourning breaks up of the group, hopefully when the task is completed successfully Induction This only applies to when Arsenal Football Club buy players for the team. The induction usually happens just after the transfer where the player is shown around the clubs facilities, training ground and stadium. Once that is complete the player is usually drafted into the first team for pre-season. Here the player can get to know the other team members and communicating with them will help the new team member realise what the teams goals are so that he can participate in helping the team achieve these goals. Motivation Maslows Hierarchy of Needs 1. Concept of hierarchy of needs Abraham Maslow 2. Need = personal requirement 3. Maslow assumed people are beings who seek to fulfil needs in their order of importance. Maslow suggests we move up the ladder of needs and are motivated by the lower needs first; do not need to completely satisfy needs on a lower level in order to start work on needs of higher level, Maslows hierarchy provides useful way to view employee motivation and as a guide for management. Herzbergs Motivators and Hygiene Factors Frederick Herzbergs studies of job attitudes and their connection with industrial mental health are related to Maslows theory of motivation. His findings have had a considerable influence on attitudes toward administration. According to Herzberg, the employee is not content with the satisfaction of lower-order needs at work, for example, those associated with minimum salary levels or safe and pleasant working conditions. He instead looks for the gratification of higher-level psychological needs having to do with achievement, recognition, responsibility, advancement, and the nature of the work itself. Herzberg added a new dimension to this theory by proposing a two-factor model of motivation, based on the notion that the presence of one set of job characteristics or incentives lead to worker satisfaction at work, while another and separate set of job characteristics lead to dissatisfaction at work. Thus, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are independent factors. Examples of Hygiene factors (dissatisfaction) * The organization * Its policies and its administration * The kind of supervision which people receive while on the job * Working conditions * Interpersonal relations * Salary * Status * Job security Examples of Motivator factors (satisfaction) * Achievement * Recognition * Growth / advancement * Interest in the job McGregors Theory X and Y Theory X Theory X suggests that individuals have an instilled dislike for work and try to avoid it. Therefore all workers dislike work, try to avoid work, are born inherently lazy, must be constantly dominated into doing a honest days work and only turn up to work to collect their pay. This means that employees must be controlled by threat in order to perform. Such an employee prefers to be directed, avoids responsibility, is explicit, and prefers security above all else. Theory Y Theory Y assumes that employees basically like to work and view work as something rather natural; the worker views this as a potentially enjoyable and positive experience. It brings forward that there are ways to make individuals perform other than through control and punishment. If the employee is committed to the mission of the department he or she will become a self directed employee. Job satisfaction means commitment to the department and its objectives. Under the proper conditions, the employee will learn and lead in to acceptance of responsibility. Many employees can solve problems no matter how big or small. Team Cohesion The definition of the word cohesive is sticking together. In cohesive teams some team members tend to concentrate on task functions while others focus on process maintaining roles. Poor morale The main reasons for poor morale are: * Negative event, such as a firing * Promotion of an employee when others are overlooked * Arguments between staff and/or management * Lack of the companys financial health * Too much or too heavy of a workload * Unappreciated or underappreciated work * Working conditions * Supervision thats too rigid, demanding, direct or involved in the work process * Supervision thats not supportive or strong enough, and doesnt provide needed guidance or input To increase morale you should: * Show concern * Provide appropriate feedback * Create goals * Offer recognition of the employees efforts After analysing each theory I have come to the conclusion that Herzbergs motivators and hygiene factor are best related to Arsenal Football Club. This is due to the fact that the employees of Arsenal Football Club are motivated to achieve whats best for them and the organisation yet they might be dissatisfied due to the pay that they are receiving or their status within the club or maybe even the way the organisation is run. Staff turnover High turnover often means that employees are unhappy with the work or compensation, but it can also indicate unsafe or unhealthy conditions, or that too few employees give satisfactory performance, due to unrealistic expectations or poor candidate screening. Low turnover indicates that none of the above is true: employees are satisfied, healthy and safe, and their performance is satisfactory to the employer. Employee retention To increase employee retention, the employer should: * Integrate performance management including goal setting * Give and receive feedback * Recognize and value employees * Coach employee performance * Handle employee complaints and problems * Provide a motivating work environment * Hold career development discussions with employees Stopping Team Conflict The best way to stop team conflict is to set up clear roles and responsibilities, accountability and goals for each team member that accomplishes the team mission. Then hold each team member accountable to the established team standard. It is also advisable to document your work processes so each team member understands how they fit in the whole picture and how they impact each other. Finally punish the troublemakers by using team feedback and a conflict resolution process. Leadership Having the correct leader for any team is very important because this causes serious changes to the team. Having a disorganised leader for any team will cause the members of the team to lose respect for the leader and each other in the team. Whereas having someone who is punctual, organised, good communicator and who has an interest in the team will be beneficial to the team as this will motivate the team members to respect one another, work harder, and become more efficient as well as having a good organisational structure within the team. Training/Coaching/Mentoring The players of Arsenal Football Club are constantly trained, several times a week, to prepare them for the football games against other football teams. Within the training sessions they discuss tactics which are done accordingly to players skill levels. This helps them become more confident and their skills levels improve as well as their teamwork. The reason their teamwork increases is because they learn to play with the same team members every week so they get used to the way they play and they can adjust their playing style to suit that of the team so the efficiency increases. The difference between training, coaching and mentoring is that: * Training is teaching a team member a certain skill so they can use it to their advantage within the team and for the teams benefit, passing the ball for example * Coaching is supporting, explaining, demonstrating, instructing and directing team members through encouragement and asking questions * Mentoring is focusing on a certain aspect of a team members skill and working on that until it improves, speed for example. This is much more personal and takes longer for the team member to learn the skill because of the fact that you focus on this single skill until it is gained